In Japan, summer is not only a hot season but also a season associated with the "ghost" culture of many localities. Many people go to haunted houses to cool off and relax. In Tokyo, haunted houses open early, attracting a large number of visitors. Ghosts in kimono with bloody eyes, moaning and staggering like zombies make visitors shiver.
Japanese people have a strange tradition of "escape the heat" in haunted houses.
Scared to "cold sweat"
"The shadows in kimonos walk along the dark path. They walk slowly while their mouths constantly moan. Behind them are red colors that create a creepy feeling." This is the factor that makes Japanese haunted houses attractive to visitors in the middle of summer. In Japanese culture, summer is often associated with death because people believe that the souls of ancestors will visit their families during the Obon festival in mid-August - a holiday that Japanese people set up to remember their ancestors.
In Japanese culture, summer is considered the time when ghosts return to visit their ancestors.
Climate change is making Japan's summers increasingly uncomfortable. This July saw the highest temperature in 126 years. In Tokyo alone, 123 people died from heatstroke last month. Many haunted houses in Japan advertise with the slogan "A chill that drives away the summer heat." According to Hirofumi Gomi, a producer of haunted house experiences, the idea may have originated in the traditional art of kabuki.
At the Namjatown haunted house, which recreates an abandoned town filled with ghosts, the company that operates it said: "In Japanese, we say 'kimo ga hieru', which literally means 'chills' - a way of saying that you get goosebumps. We believe that visitors will feel a sense of fear, surprise or 'chills', thereby enjoying the cool feeling in the middle of summer."
Visitors will have a creepy, "chilling" feeling when visiting these haunted houses.
Visiting haunted houses is also considered a way to cool off in the middle of summer. Japanese haunted houses are often equipped with cool air conditioning to ensure visitors always feel the shivers. At Namjatown haunted house, the interior elements are designed with the theme of an abandoned Japanese town. This place is full of demons and many traps prepared by the organizers to scare visitors.
Namjatown Haunted House is famous for its scary scares.
The tradition of listening to ghost stories in the summer
Many haunted houses in Japan even hang signs that say, “Here we have a thrill to help you beat the summer heat,” to attract visitors. According to Hirofumi Gomi, who has 30 years of experience designing haunted houses, the idea of entering a haunted house to escape the heat comes from a traditional Japanese art form. “Old kabuki theaters were often crowded in the summer because audiences did not want to crowd into a stuffy theater without air conditioning,” he said.
Mr. Hirofumi Gomi - who has more than 30 years of experience in designing haunted houses.
According to him, to attract viewers, theater owners should switch from the genre of romantic drama to horror drama with many devices that create a "chilling" feeling. Thanks to that, the audience will return to the theater in large numbers. "For those who are uncomfortable because of the temperature, creepy visual effects and attractive ghost stories will be effective weapons to beat the heat," Mr. Gomi shared. From there, horror trends in Japan are loved and responded to by people because of the excitement that these demonic elements bring.
These haunted houses are also the perfect choice to try out this Halloween for those who want to forget the sweltering heat and seek out different experiences.
